Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-03-07
THEY TAKE THE OATH.
Only Two MOrmOns Out Of Thirteen
Refuse to Swear Obedience to the
Old and New Laws.
George StrIngfellOw Wants Time to
COnsider-RObert McEWan Refuses
Outright-DShemina
Hesitates.
The Other Eleven SANITY Jurors Take
the Dose without Wincing-
Gentiles Accepted.

The immense crowd that locked INTO
the Third District Court room this morn
ing went there expecting to be highly
entertained, but the modest way in
which the Mormon jurors swallowed the
new test oath put damper on the crowd
and spoiled much OF the anticipated fun.
All the jurors now on the panel were
called into the box, twelve at time, and
the following oath was administered, in
dividually, by Clerk Zane:
''You do solemnly swear that your full
name is.....; that you are. e. years of
age; that your place of business is........ !;
that you are (single orr married man: that
the name of your wife is. -........, and that
you will support the Constitution of the
United States and will faithfully obey the
laws thereof, and especially the Act of Con-
gress, approved March %, 1882, entitled San
Act to amend Section 1852 of the Revised
Statute of the United States in reference to
bigamy and for other purposes" and that
you will also obey the Act of Congress of
March 3, 1887, entitled San Act
to amend an Act entitled AN Act
to amend Section 1852 of the Revised
Statutes of the United States, in reference
to bigamy and for other purposes" ap-
proved March %, 1882, in respect of the
crimes in said Act defined and forbidden,
and that you will not, directly or indirectly,
aid or abet, counsel or advise any other per-
son to commit any of said crimes defined by
Acts of Congress as polygamy, bigamy, IN
lawful cohabitation, incest, adultery and
fornication; and you do further swear that
you are not bigamist or polygamist, and
that you have never been convicted of any
crime under the Act of Congress entitled
San Act to amend Section 1852 of the Re-
vised Statutes of the United States, in refer
ence to bigamy and for other purposes ap-
proved March %, 1882; nor under the Act
amendatory thereof, of March 3, 1887, and
that you do not associate or cohabit polyg-
amously with persons of the other sex.
w. H. II. Bowers was the first juror
called, and, being Gentle, he of course
took the oath.
Next came Richard Howe, Mormon,
and of course, there was the greatest
amount of interest taken in him, but he
soon dispelled fears and hopes by taking
the oath straight.
0. D'Shemina, another Mormon, at
first said that he would not take it but
after the Court had explained the mean
ing of it he decided that he could.
David B. Slower and Louis Martin,
both Gentiles, then took the oath.
Robert McEwan, a young Mormon of
SO summers said: 81 don't think l am
prepared to take that OATH" and he was
excused.
Oliver Hodson, Mark Spencer, Robert
Dye, James H. Day and Charles Samson
Gall Mormons), and James Ashman,
Louis Hyams, J. II. Edgerly, VIM. R.
Laraby, A. J. Staunchfeld and B. H.
Conklin (all Gentiles) took it without
murmur.
Hyrum Groesbeck (Mormon) asked for
an explanation of certain point and
decided that he could take it.
John Mckay and VIM. N. Atwood
(Mormons) and VIM. H. Whitehead
(Gentile) took it.
George Stringfellow, an eX-City Coun-
cilor and somewhat prominent Mormon,
said that he hadn't had time to think the
the matter over, and would therefore
rather not say now whether or not he
would take it, and added that he didn't
care whether or not he was excused.
The Court-Do you wish to be ex-
cused?
Stringfellow-Yes, sir.
The Court-You may be excused.
This ended the examination of all the
jurors present, and the Court then took
up the docket business.
The outcome of this, to coupled
with the word that the Brigham
City Saints are voting straight
ahead to-day. settles the much
talked of question CIVIL they take the
oath ?" and gives for an answer great
big iron-clad, "They will"